Taking the item ID out of a link from a video
Spreadsheet rows seen on TikTok arrive in two ways: a link in the creator's bio, or a link inside a sheet the creator points to. Either way the part worth keeping is the item ID, because the address around it belongs to whichever agent or tool built the link. Do this once per row.
- Open the link in a browser, not in the app's preview, and let the final page load.
- Copy the address from the address bar. A bio-link service or short link redirects first, and the ID is only visible in the final address.
- Find the ID. The table below shows where it sits on each marketplace.
- Rebuild the link as
hoobuy.com/product/{code}/{ID}, or paste the original marketplace address into whichever agent you prefer. - Check the page shows the same product and price as the video before you pay.
| Marketplace | ID in the address | HooBuy code |
|---|---|---|
| Taobao, Tmall | Usually labelled id | 1 |
| Weidian | Usually labelled itemID | 2 |
| 1688 | The offer number | 0 |
Our HooBuy link converter is built for steps 3 and 4. Only the Weidian code was tested on HooBuy's site, where a Weidian item opened without login; a Taobao link reached the login page and 1688 is untested.
Open, copy the final address, take the ID, and rebuild the link yourself.
One placeholder row, rebuilt
The ID below is a placeholder, not a real item. A bio link resolves to a Weidian address such as weidian.com/item.html?itemID=1234567890. The ID is 1234567890, Weidian's HooBuy code is 2, so the HooBuy address would be hoobuy.com/product/2/1234567890. The same ID goes into any other agent, but never the digit, because agents do not share numbering; a third-party list from 5 October 2026 gives USFans 3 for Weidian.
Price it before you commit: HooBuy's estimator quoted ¥98.20 (€14.21 at ¥6.91 per €1) for 1,000 g to Germany on DHL europe package-f1, weight only. The Weidian page has a full worked parcel.
The ID travels between agents; the digit and the wrapper do not.
TikTok Shop is a different thing
TikTok Shop sells inside the app, from sellers who list there. It is a direct retailer: you pay TikTok Shop, the seller ships to you, and there is no agent warehouse in between. HooBuy cannot take a TikTok Shop item, because its link format has no code for it, and our notes describe no agent that can either.
That makes the decision simple. If the video links to a TikTok Shop product, buy it there under its own delivery and return terms, which we did not read for this page. If the video shows a product and the bio links to a Chinese marketplace, you are in agent territory and the steps above apply. A direct purchase gives you no QC photos or combined parcel, but also no China-to-Europe leg.
Shop links stay in the app; marketplace links go through the ID steps and an agent.
Claims in videos, checked against dated notes
Videos about agents change faster than agents do. Three claims we have seen, set against what we could check:
| Claim | What we found | Our label |
|---|---|---|
| KakoBuy was raided or shutting down | Brief downtime in mid-August 2026, then videos made the claim; rep.tools (31 Aug 2026) says no evidence supports it | Open |
| HooBuy is finished | Site, estimator and item pages worked on 26 Oct 2026; Trustpilot and Reclame Aqui complaints from June to September 2026 | Hold |
| CNFans is gone | Maintenance page after cyberattack notices on 26 Oct 2026; rep.tools reported owner-confirmed closure in August 2026 | Closed |
The 31 dated agent labels are on the agents hub. Ask when a video was made, and whether the agent's site loads today.
Treat a video's status claim as a lead to check, not a fact.
What a creator's link may carry
HooBuy's Ambassador pages say an inviter earns commission of 4% to 5.5% of the international shipping an invitee actually pays, plus 2% on indirect invitees, and the product page says shipping payments made through shared links generate commission for the sharer. So a HooBuy link in a bio may be a share link. We do not print or recommend codes, and HooBuy announces its own coupons through its Notices and Discord.
Because HooBuy is on Hold on this site (see the status page), pay per order, keep the first order small and compare open options on the alternatives page. If you would rather send a TikTok row to us than open an account, use the contact page, and log the row in the row tracker. The HooBuy spreadsheet home page covers how sheets are normally laid out.
A share link can be harmless, but rebuild it from the ID so you choose the route.
What HooBuy buyers ask
Where do I find the item ID in a link from a TikTok bio?
Open the link in a browser, wait for the final page and read the address bar. On Weidian addresses it is usually labelled itemID, on Taobao id, and on 1688 it is the offer number; we did not verify those labels against the notes, so check the page shows the same product. If the address is only a short redirect, the ID is not visible until the page has loaded.
Is a link in a creator's bio the same as a HooBuy link?
Not necessarily. It may be a plain marketplace address, an agent address or a HooBuy address that carries the creator's share. HooBuy's product page says shipping payments made through shared links generate commission for the sharer. Rebuild the link from the item ID and decide yourself which agent you want, so the sheet's author does not choose for you.
Can I buy a product from TikTok Shop through HooBuy?
No. TikTok Shop is a shop inside the app, and HooBuy's link format has codes only for 1688 (0), Taobao (1) and Weidian (2). Buy inside TikTok Shop under its own terms, which we did not read for this page. If you want the Chinese-marketplace version of the product, search for it and use the converter.
A video says HooBuy has closed. Is that true?
We could not confirm it. HooBuy's site, estimator and item pages worked on 26 October 2026, and a June 2026 Brazilian YouTube video titled "HOOBUY ACABOU" does not say in its description that HooBuy closed. Our label is Hold because reviewers reported stuck orders and unpaid refunds from June to September 2026. Check the date of any video you rely on.
Why does a TikTok sheet row show a different price from the video?
Marketplace sellers change prices and options, and an agent adds the seller-to-warehouse fee. HooBuy also converts yuan at its own rates, ¥6.04 per US$1 on 26 October 2026, so a ¥147.68 Weidian item showed as $24.45. Compare the yuan figure first, then the conversion, then the shipping line, before you pay for anything.